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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Anyone who enjoyed Evelyn Waugh's Scoop will be delighted by William Deedes' real life account of war correspondence in 1930s Abyssinia. Many of the journalists and officials turn out to be even more amusing and outlandish than Waugh made their fictional counterparts. The complex character of Waugh is also given honest treatment through Deedes' eyes, with as much admiration as criticism offered. It's also a nostalgic journey to a now long-past era, with our world of instant global communication and no more expensive, unreliable telegraphing, let alone cleft sticks. Deedes' account and Waugh's novel share common ground in their record of the tragedy as well as the bathos of war. A relatively quick read, but an excellent one.
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read the extracts of this book in The Daily Telegraph and immediately fell in love with the feel of the days of empire and the civilised Englishman abroad. I immediateley bought Scoop and awaited publication. I was not to be disappointed : a simply delightful read. Why has so much been lost of what this country stood for?
Deedes takes you through a fascinating journey. I loved every minute.
Deedes takes you through a fascinating journey. I loved every minute.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I first discovered Evelyn Waugh's novels in my teens and fell in love with them. Scoop, about the deviousness and general hopelessness of war reporters sent to get their Scoop in a fictitious African country, was always one of my favourites. I recently rediscovered Waugh again, through his travel writing (the excellent book Labels) and through his friendship with the Mitfords which comes out in the Mitfords book of letters between the six sisters. Intrigued as to his label of being a difficult man I jumped at this short memoir by W.F. Deedes about his time in Abyssinia with Waugh.
It is this time that is generally considered to be the background and material Waugh used to write Scoop, and Deedes takes us through the time he was there giving background and commenting on whether Waugh used this material or that person and how he feels about Waugh's representation of his life as a journalist and the caricature of him in particular.
It seems clear that Waugh was a difficult person to get on with and Deedes is cautious with his material. You get the feeling that he really wasn't keen, but on the other hand he doesn't want to burn too many bridges and also realises that many readers have a strong affection for Waugh. He tries his best to be even handed, but you also feel that after so many years, to be primarily known for your caricature in a book by a person you weren't entirely keen on is wearing a bit thin.
The book is entertaining and illuminating but very short and I also got the feeling, perhaps erroneously that this book was written primarily a) for financial gain and b) to try and stop people asking him about this episode in his life, decades after it happened.
It is this time that is generally considered to be the background and material Waugh used to write Scoop, and Deedes takes us through the time he was there giving background and commenting on whether Waugh used this material or that person and how he feels about Waugh's representation of his life as a journalist and the caricature of him in particular.
It seems clear that Waugh was a difficult person to get on with and Deedes is cautious with his material. You get the feeling that he really wasn't keen, but on the other hand he doesn't want to burn too many bridges and also realises that many readers have a strong affection for Waugh. He tries his best to be even handed, but you also feel that after so many years, to be primarily known for your caricature in a book by a person you weren't entirely keen on is wearing a bit thin.
The book is entertaining and illuminating but very short and I also got the feeling, perhaps erroneously that this book was written primarily a) for financial gain and b) to try and stop people asking him about this episode in his life, decades after it happened.
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